International Charter on Space and Major Disasters activated for Indonesia – Sinabung Volcano in Indonesia

Mount Sinabung, located in the North Sumatra province in Indonesia, erupted on 21st of May 2016, killing seven people in the village of Gembar, which is located on its foothills. The volcano last erupted in 2014, and in October of that year the National Disaster Management Agency of Indonesia established a 4 kilometer danger zone as a way to minimize the number of people exposed to the impacts of subsequent eruptions. 

The International Charter Space and Major Disasters was activated on 23 May 2016 by the Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC) on behalf of the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN) of Indonesia.   LAPAN was designated by the Charter as the project manager for this activation.

Search and rescue teams continue to search the affected area to find any other victims of the eruption but it is still unclear how many people might have been affected by the eruption.